Blog Post #1

Yayoi Kusama, Mirror Room (Pumpkin), 1991, Mirrors, 200cm x 200cm x 200 cm

This work is very unique and it represents the first role of an artist, that artists allow the viewer to see the world in new or innovative ways. To some, these dots are, just that, dots. But, these dots are very symbolic. That the dots are reflected in a mirror represent infinitude while also challenging the idea of human beings as alpha-male. In the end, humans are symbolic dots in a universe that is, in the end, merely a collection of dots.

Michelangelo, David, circa 1501, Marble Statue, 17 feet

This work represents the second role of an artist, and that is to make a visual record of the places, events and, in this case, the people of their time. King David is, according to history, one of the greatest Kings to rule Israel as he was a fiscal genius. Moreover, he was also known as the Great Liberator, as he truly set Israel apart from other nations and gave it its first true national identity. Thus, wherever David stands, he stands for freedom and ingenuity.

Marcel Duchamp, Bicycle Wheel, 1913, Various, 25.5 inches

Normally, a bicycle wheel is nothing glamorous. It is merely a part to the complete entity, a cog in the metaphorical (excuse the repition) wheel. However, in putting a special emphasis on this commonplace object, Marcel Duchamp has fulfilled the third role of an artist, that is to make functional objects more pleasurable. He has transformed a common object and transformed it into art. 

Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, 1511, Fresco, 189.0 in × 90.6 in

Deeply religious in nature, The Creation of Adam is one of the most iconic and powerful portraits in the world. Painted by world-reknowned artist Michelangelo, the portrait shows God giving the final spark of life to his creation Adam. It is modeled after the Genesis story. Thus, this work gives life to a story told in the Bible, fulfilling the fourth role of an artist, which is to give form to the immaterial such as universal truths or, in this case, spiritual forces and entities

Alexandros of Antioch, Venus de Milo, circa 115 BC, Marble Statue, 6 ft 8 in

The Venus de Milo is a very beautiful sculpture. Sculpted for the goddess of love and beauty, the sculpture conjures up those very same emotions in the eye of the viewer. The work is beautiful to look at and soft on the eye. There is no real message to this work other than the beauty that radiates from this marble statue. This makes the work aesthetically beautiful, meaning that the artist intended to conjure a sense of beauty in the viewer with no real message behind the work.

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans, 1962, Synthetic polymer paint on 32 canvases, Each canvas 20 x 16 in

This work is one of the premier examples of what kitsch means. Warhol takes a mass-produced object and repeats it thirty-two times, making art that seems mass produces and for commercial gains. This makes the work Kitsch: The work is cheap and unoriginal, doing nothing but repeating a commercail object over a series of canvases.